MOTOGP AUSTIN 2015 - THE RACE

AT THE END OF A POSITIVE WEEKEND ALVARO BAUTISTA RIDES HIS APRILIA RS-GP TO A FIFTEENTH PLACE FINISH AND THE FIRST POINT IN MOTOGP.

Austin (USA), 12 April 2015 - At the second round race the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini earned their first point of the season thanks to Alvaro Bautista who, on the spectacular Circuit of the Americas in Austin, rode his RS-GP to a fifteenth place finish.

At the wire the Spaniard came very close to the two riders ahead of him, giving the impression in the final laps that he might even have gained a position or two. This is a positive test received by the entire team with great satisfaction, as well as motivation and encouragement for everyone who has been facing this season like a long apprenticeship in the most challenging category of motorcycle racing.

Marco Melandri, who got off the line very well, was hindered and then forced to a DNF due to problems with his gearbox. In one week there will be another round in Argentina to keep improving and to confirm the progress made on the Texan track.

Romano Albesiano (Aprilia Racing Manager): “This is just a small step but it is a really great result. It goes beyond the point earned, which in any case is a relevant fact. In a MotoGP that has never been so competitive it is important that Bautista easily did battle against bikes that are much further along than ours in terms of development and with top level riders. This is an important point which encourages us in this growth process which is so difficult at times, but which today began to bear first fruits.”

Fausto Gresini (Team Manager): “A point is like a podium for us: our first goal after all was to finish the race. We succeeded, finishing in the points, a result that we thought would be difficult to achieve just a short while ago, so we are quite pleased. Obviously we know that there is still much work to be done, but today we gathered a lot of precious information and this is the right path to pursue. Too bad about Marco, who was looking good at the beginning of the race. Now we are looking forward to Argentina with confidence to get some more experience under our belts.”

Alvaro Bautista: “I am really happy! I was able to put forth my best effort in the race, even bringing home our first point. I chose to use the soft compound tyre on the rear and I was able to look after it quite well, not pushing too hard at the beginning and then maintaining the most consistent pace possible. Toward the end I was at the limit, otherwise I would have been able to fight even for thirteenth place, but that's OK: bringing home points wasn't our goal. We simply wanted to finish the race, but we succeeded and we are obviously pleased about it. We finished out a truly positive weekend, gathering information and good sensations that will let me provide precious explanations to the engineers in view of the coming races. I want to thank the entire team, from the mechs to the engineers who are working hard to continuously improve the bike.”

Marco Melandri: “It's a shame because I got off the line well and I had gotten ahead of several other riders. But from the very start I had problems with the gearbox and by the eleventh lap I had to stop. Fortunately we'll be racing again in a week, and I hope the weather will be good all weekend so we can improve.”